Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
by DemonStripper
Summary: In the solitude, all was silent save for the crackling of burning coke, ochre embers catching his mismatched eyes as he stared sleepily ahead. He smelt Sebastian before he heard him. He didn't turn when he heard a quiet sigh and the rustling of a discarded tailcoat, leaning back into the hand that brushed his left shoulder so tenderly. "Unable to sleep, I see." Look After You verse


**Written for the 12 Days of Sebaciel event - Day 7: Cold December Night. I finished this a few days ago, but decided to wait until Christmas Eve to post it. Happy holidays everyone!**

* * *

As midnight struck on the night of Christmas Eve, the heat of the fire was warm against Ciel's skin.

In the right corner of the largest sitting room stood a gargantuan fir, decked from top to bottom in flickering candles, popcorn strands, and countless baubles in various shapes and colours. A golden star stood proudly atop its highest branch, placed there by Sebastian himself in place of the traditional angel. Considering the tainted past and dulled beliefs of the manor's occupants, no complaints were made in the exchanging of the divine sculpture. Ciel's request to have it traded for a less religious symbol was all the same to the devil, who would much prefer to not see any visage of a holy being in his mate's home anyways.

The cold glass of the snow dusted windows were already cloaked in thick, crimson velvet as the clock struck to announce the rise of the hour, the fireplace shining brightly to break apart the darkness of the room occupied only by the master of the household. He was meant to be in bed an hour ago to recover after a taxing day of dreadful last-minute gift shopping and even more gruelling hours spent approving the designs for his New Year's line of Bitter Rabbits, which were to be released on the first day of the new year, yet sleep eluded him. Sebastian had dressed him for bed and covered him with the thick blankets upon his bed, promising to return once he'd finished dusting the library, but when he found himself tossing and turning restlessly for over half an hour, the young earl had finally given up. After tying his navy dressing robe, he descended the stairs with bare feet, leaving him where he was now - sitting on the floor in front of the still-burning hearth with a faint shiver creeping beneath his thin nightshirt. Admittedly, it was meant for the summer months and was far too cool to be worn in the winter whenever he was lacking the warmth his devil emitted. In the solitude, all was silent save for the crackling of burning coke, ochre embers catching his mismatched eyes as he stared sleepily ahead. They were so very similar to the fiery depths of his alpha's eyes, though less captivating than the bewitching blend of carnelian and camelia he bore.

He smelt Sebastian before he heard him. The aroma of rosemary, blood orange, blackberry, and basil flooded Ciel's senses with the first step his butler took towards him, and his shoulders instantly slumped as he inhaled greedily. He didn't turn when he heard a quiet sigh and the rustling of a discarded tailcoat, simply leaned back into the hand that brushed his left shoulder so tenderly.

"Unable to sleep, I see… You could have called for me if you were still up, I would have finished cleaning in the morning if you needed me," Sebastian crooned, settling down beside the weary earl. He found it odd that Ciel would choose to sit atop the rug rather than on one of the many lounges, but upon stroking his side, he felt the trembling of the man's thin frame. He suspected the close proximity of the fire may be aiding him more than it would have from the wingback chair several feet back. He pulled him close to his chest and extended his own warmth to his mate, lips finding purchase against the scar over his scent gland; The answering purr made him smile fondly. Thankfully, Ciel didn't appear distressed as he wrapped an arm around his waist and gave a small smirk of his own; He was merely drowsy. It was unfortunate that he was having difficulties resting tonight of all nights, as tomorrow would be a very busy day. A rather large Christmas dinner was to be held in the afternoon, something the demon knew his master found tedious at best despite it being expected of him to play the polite and sociable host. If his human had it his way, there would be no party and no guests, only a brief moment to offer small gifts to his servants before dismissing them for the rest of the night, giving him undisturbed time with his mate.

"Mm, it's alright. I didn't want to bother you when there are still so many preparations due for tomorrow's dinner. Besides that, it's kind of nice to sit down here without the sounds of that rambunctious bunch attempting to not destroy the kitchen," The omega chuckled, huddling into the pleasantly heated body of his alpha. He regretted not donning some sort of footwear before coming downstairs as it would have prevented his toes from feely as icy as his fingers, but it was too late for that now, and he was too comfortable to request that Sebastian bring him some. However, it seemed that his butler noticed anyways. He watched the devil lean back without ever releasing him, snatching the tan fur blanket from where it hung over the arm of the sapphire chair he often perched in whenever he visited this particular sitting room. Without a word, it was tucked around his legs and waist, as blankets were often positioned in his nest, easily covering his chilled feet. "Thank you," He breathed, placing a faint kiss against his lover's collarbone before outstretching his hands with a small wiggle of his fingers, "Now warm my hands as well."

With a quiet laugh, Sebastian caged the smaller hands betwixt his own and allowed his breath to fan over them, helping fend off the frigid temperature they seemed to bare. As an unholy being, his own body temperature was naturally higher unless tampered with to meet the needs of a contractee, and it was something Ciel - who was often cold - took advantage of often. "Oh, very well, my demanding little master… But did you truly think I wouldn't notice you were cold? Your hand grazed mine earlier and it felt like I had touched snow." His teasing didn't go without punishment, but the blunt nails briefly digging into his palm did nothing to phase him, and Ciel knew it. It got the point across though and Sebastian simply gave a devilish grin, complete with sharpened fangs, before closing his hands over his beloved's entirely.

All was silent for a long moment before Ciel spoke up again. "Are you sure I cannot cancel the gathering tomorrow and feign illness? Influenza is catching many off-guard this year, so it would be easily believable." As he pleaded, his mismatched eyes widened a bit in hopes that his demon would take pity on him and spare him of the mindless drivel he would be forced to endure with a smile that didn't seem as fake as it felt. He felt the ground briefly disappear before he was swept into lean-muscled arms, Sebastian balancing him upon his lap as he rested his chin atop his silken hair. By the shared heat of the hearth and his mate, Ciel was beginning to feel more sleepy, arms wrapping around the alpha's neck and his head lulling softly against his shoulder. His blinks were growing languid, his eyelids heavy as he began to drift in and out of consciousness.

"Yes, I'm sure, dearest. I allowed you to do that last year, but you must host this year, lest you tarnish your name with your supposed misanthropy and lack of holiday spirit. While a Christmas gathering on Christmas Eve is avoidable, one on Christmas Day is not, I'm afraid." Noticing Ciel's fatigued sigh and gradually slower responses, he tugged the blanket he was swathed in up to his shoulders, purring soothingly to fully relax him. "Don't worry, I'm sure we can find a way to prevent it from stretching on too long. It is likely that many of your guests will also have other galas to attend as the night goes on, so I am sure that everything will be fine. It is a problem for tomorrow though, for now, just get some sleep so you won't snap at everything that moves in the morning." With an amused huff at the unintelligible grumble from the now-dozing man, he planted a revering kiss on his lips, feeling the gesture returned softly as Ciel closed his eyes. Even after his love succumbed to slumber, he continued to hold him into the early hours of morning, content to watch the omega rest safe and warm in front of the fire.

"Merry Christmas, dearest."


End file.
